The Secret Service's lead site agent for former President Donald Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was "inexperienced, ineffective, and not up to the job," whistleblowers told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Trump survived an assassination attempt at the July 13 rally, during which one person died and two other spectators were seriously wounded.
The Secret Service and law enforcement officials have been criticized for not protecting Trump despite being notified of the would-be assassin's presence well before the shooting started.
Haley says a whistleblower alleged the Butler lead site agent "failed to implement appropriate security protocols."
The senator sent a letter to acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and urged him to suspend the still-active agent.
"New whistleblower allegations to my office directly question decisions made by Secret Service's lead site agent principally responsible for securing the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania," Hawley wrote Rowe.
"This is especially alarming because during your testimony on July 30, you stated that this agent was 'still operational […] They're still doing protective visits.'
"Your refusal to hold this individual accountable is increasingly inexplicable," Hawley added.
"I urge you to suspend the lead site agent from all Secret Service duties immediately while these claims are investigated."
Hawley took to social media to announce the whistleblower's allegations Monday night.
"NEW – Whistleblowers tell me the lead site agent in charge of the Butler rally was known to be inexperienced, ineffective, and not up to the job – and on the day failed to implement basic security protocols – yet this person is STILL on active duty. Why?" Hawley posted on X.
One whistleblower told Hawley the "lead site agent was well-known in campaign circles as lacking competence and experience in the role."
Another whistleblower said the agent "personally made decisions that likely compromised the overall security of the event."
Those decisions included:
- Allowing material, such as flags, that could affect agents' line-of-sight to Trump.
- Not checking IDs when issuing credentials that authorize access to restricted areas of the site.
- Staffing decisions such as allowing Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents who said they had never staffed a rally before and did not know proper procedure.
Hawley asked Rowe to answer several questions, including who was responsible for assigning the lead site agent to the rally, and whether the agent will be held accountable.